Heart-stopping footage of an off-duty policeman rescuing a woman who fainted and tumbled onto the tracks at a Spanish rail station has emerged.

Spanish police have released a clip of the officer bravely leaping onto the rails and rushing to the stricken woman's aid despite a train being due to arrive just seconds after her fall.

The unnamed 52-year-old woman somersaulted head first onto the tracks after collapsing while waiting for a Madrid Metro train at the city's Marques de Vadilla station on Monday afternoon.

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Rescue: Spanish police have released heart stopping footage of an off-duty policeman rescuing a woman who had fainted and fallen onto a busy rail track. Here the woman is pictured tumbling onto the track

Help: Horrified commuters frantically rush to the platform edge and attempt to help the stricken woman while others run off to fetch emergency services

Some commuters rush to the platform edge desperate to help the woman who is seen lying prone on the rails, while others run off to find help.

But, without a seconds thought for his own safety, the unnamed 39-year-old policeman, who was stood at the other end of the platform, sprang into action.

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He is seen leaping down onto the tracks close to the entrance of the metro tunnel and sprinting along the rails.

Terrifyingly, just as he reaches the woman the lights of an approaching train begin to emerge from the tunnel.

VIDEO Off-duty policeman rescues woman from train track

Hero: The off duty policeman is captured sprinting towards the woman who is laying prone on the rails. The lights of an approaching train can be seen emerging from the tunnel in the background

Struggle: Fortunately the train has stopped in time but the policeman carries the woman across the tracks to the opposite platform

Aid: Fellow commuters help the policeman to drag the woman to the safety of the platform where a doctor was on hand to treat her

But fortunately for both the policeman and the woman he is trying to rescue, other commuters managed to get the train driver's attention by waving frantically and he is able to bring the train to a halt in time.

The policeman manages to drag the woman, who is unconscious and a dead weight, across the tracks and is helped by other rail passengers as he manages to lift her to the safety of the opposite platform from where she fell.

Fortunately a doctor was on hand at the station to treat the injured woman before paramedics could come to her aid.

The Metro de Madrid is the sixth longest underground rail network in the world and serves almost 650million passengers each year.

Safety: The woman and the policeman have managed to get off the track and the waiting train carries on with its journey